Integrated Systems Facilitating Wire And Cable Installations

ABSTRACT

Pulling eyes are provided with integrated wiring systems suitable for installing conductors or cables. The pulling eyes may include body portions that define interior cavities that are sized to snugly engage outside portions of the conductors or cables. The body portions are sized to be deformably crimped onto the outside portions of the conductors or cables. The pulling eyes may also include head portions joined to the body portions, with the head portions defining apertures for receiving a strength member for installing the conductors or cables. These apertures place the interior cavities in communication with the exteriors of the pulling eyes.

CROSS-REFRENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/726,992 filed on Mar. 18, 2010, entitled “Integrated Systems for Wireand Cable Installations,” which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/162,589 filed on Mar. 23, 2009, entitled“Integrated Systems for Wire and Cable Installations;” U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/174,210 filed on Apr. 30, 2009, entitled“Integrated Systems for Wire and Cable Installations;” U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/221,216 filed on Jun. 29, 2009, entitled“Integrated Systems for Wire and Cable Installations;” and U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/244,919 filed on Sep. 23,2009, entitled “Layered Reel and Layering Multiple Parallels on a SingleReel,” each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference inits entirety. This application further incorporates by this referencethe entire contents of issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,557,301, filed as U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/017,222 on Jan. 21, 2008, and entitled“Method of Manufacturing Electrical Cable Having Reduced Required Forcefor Installation,” as if the contents thereof were set forth verbatimherein. In addition, this patent application incorporates by thisreference the following as if the contents thereof were set forthverbatim herein: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/587,584; and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/858,766 and11/675,441.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a combined block and flow diagram illustrating implementationsin which wire and cable manufacturers, distributors, and contractors mayinteract in connection with creating and delivering integrated systemsfor wire and cable installations.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram providing additional details relating to aconfiguration and ordering tool that may facilitate creating anddelivering the integrated systems for wire and cable installations.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating additional details relating toinputs and outputs of the configuration and ordering tool shown in FIG.2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating various components that may beincluded in the integrated systems for wire and cable installations.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating multiple cables or wires that may beloaded in parallel onto a single reel to be payed-off in parallel duringinstallation at a contractor job site.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating payoff systems that may be included insome instances of the integrated systems for wire and cableinstallations.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example pulling eye that may beattached to a terminal end of the wires or cables provided as part ofthe integrated systems for wire and cable installations.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating additional examples of the pullingeyes, as well as illustrating installation scenarios in which a numberof different pulling eyes are attached to the terminal ends ofrespective wires, connected to pulling ropes, and linked to a commonattachment point for pulling through conduit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the snap hook shown in FIG. 8, alongwith a protective cover that may be installed over a pulling head toreduce friction encountered by the pulling head when a given run of wireor cable is pulled through conduit.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an alternative construction of anassembled pulling head assembly.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a pulling eye and pulling cable inmore detail.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating examples of a reel that is loaded witha plurality of conductors having insulation with different colors.

FIGS. 13A-13C are diagrams illustrating details of an illustrativecrimp.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating examples of differently-coloredconductors that are crimped onto pulling ropes or cables.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a variable speed tugger asprovided by some implementations of the integrated systems for wire andcable installations.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating examples of threaded pulling eyes.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating examples of non-threaded pulling eyes.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are diagrams illustrating examples of pay-off systemsconfigured for delivery to job sites.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating additional examples of pulling eyes.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the pulling eyes shown in FIG. 19,with head portions and body portions assembled.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating additional details of the pulling eyesas the pulling eyes undergo crimping.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating outside diameters, inside diameters,and wall thicknesses suitable for implementing the pulling eyesdescribed herein.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating sequences and/or rotationalorientations for performing successive crimps along pulling eyes, asindicated by color-coded areas along the pulling eyes.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating sequences and/or rotationalorientations for performing successive crimps along pulling eyes, asindicated by dashes or other indicia applied to the pulling eyes.

FIGS. 25A and 25B are diagrams illustrating details of preparing anarmored cable for installation of pulling head assemblies.

FIG. 26 is a cross-section of a reel containing multiple parallels woundin layers on the reel, according to embodiments described herein.

FIG. 27 is a flow diagram showing methods for layering multipleparallels on a single reel, according to embodiments described herein.

FIGS. 28-31 are diagrams showing aspects of the layering of multipleparallels on a single reel, according to embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is directed to methods, systems, andapparatuses for using integrated systems for wire and cableinstallations. This description provides various components, one or moreof which may be included in particular implementations of the integratedsystems for wire and cable installations. In illustrating and describingthese various components, however, it is noted that implementations ofthe integrated systems for wire and cable installations may include anycombination of these components, including combinations other than thoseshown in this description.

FIG. 1 illustrates implementations, denoted generally at 100, in whichany number of wire and cable manufacturers 102, wire and cabledistributors 104, and contractors 106 may interact in connection withcreating and delivering integrated systems for wire and cableinstallations. As shown in FIG. 1, a given wire and cable manufacturer102 and a given contractor 106 may communicate or interact with oneanother, to establish various parameters related to one or more wirepulls to be performed at a job site where the contractor 106 is working.FIG. 1 denotes these interactions generally at 108.

The interactions 108 may represent the contractor 106 providingspecifications related to the wire pulls. The interactions 108 may alsorepresent the manufacturer 102 processing these specifications to designand provide an integrated system that is customized for performing oneor more of the wire pulls at the contractor site.

FIG. 1 generally represents at 110A and 110B (collectively, integratedsystems 110) the integrated systems for wire and cable installations, asprovided by the manufacturer 102. In some implementations, but notnecessarily all, the integrated systems 110 may pass through one or moredistributors 104 for delivery to the contractor 106. FIG. 1 denotes at110A the integrated systems as provided to the distributors 104, anddenotes at 110B the integrated systems as provided by the distributors104 to the contractors 106. In different scenarios, the distributors 104may or may not add to or augment the integrated systems 110 beforedelivering them to the contractors 106. Thus, the integrated systems110A may or may not be the same as the integrated systems 110B indifferent implementation scenarios.

In some cases, the integrated systems 110 may pass directly from themanufacturer 102 to the contractor 106. FIG. 1 represents this scenariogenerally at 110C.

FIG. 2 illustrates additional details, denoted generally at 200,relating to a configuration and ordering tool that may facilitatecreating and delivering the integrated systems for wire and cableinstallations. For ease of description, but not to limit possibleimplementations, FIG. 2 carries forward the manufacturer 102 and thecontractor 106, who may interact as carried forward at 108.

Turning to FIG. 2 in more detail, the manufacturer 102 (or a third partyacting on behalf of the manufacturer 102) may operate one or more serversystems 202, and may enable the distributors and/or contractors 106 tolog into the server systems 202 remotely to access at least portions ofthe server systems 202. The server systems 202 may communicate with themanufacturer 102, the distributors, and/or the contractors 106 oversuitable communications networks (not shown in FIG. 2). For example, themanufacturer 102 and the contractor 106 may carry out at least portionsof the interactions 108 through the server systems 202.

Turning to the server systems 202 in more detail, these systems mayinclude one or more processors 204, which may have a particular type orarchitecture, chosen as appropriate for particular implementations. Theprocessors 204 may couple to one or more bus systems 206 chosen forcompatibility with the processors 204.

The server systems 202 may also include one or more instances ofcomputer-readable storage medium or media 208, which couple to the bussystems 206. The bus systems 206 may enable the processors 202 to readcode and/or data to/from the computer-readable storage media 208. Themedia 208 may represent apparatus in the form of storage elements thatare implemented using any suitable technology, including but not limitedto semiconductors, magnetic materials, optics, or the like. The media208 may include memory components, whether classified as RAM, ROM,flash, or other types, and may also represent hard disk drives.

The storage media 208 may include one or more modules of instructionsthat, when loaded into the processor 204 and executed, cause the serversystems 202 to perform various techniques related to provisioning theintegrated systems for wire and cable installations. As detailedthroughout this description, these modules of instructions may alsoprovide various tools or techniques by which the server systems 202 mayprovision the integrated systems 110, using the components and flowsdiscussed in more detail throughout this description. For example, thestorage media 208 may include one or more software modules thatimplement configuration and ordering tools or utilities 210. Theseconfiguration and ordering tools 210 generally represent softwareprogrammed or configured to perform various functions allocated hereinto the server systems 202. For example, the contractors 106 and/ordistributors may access the configuration and ordering tools 210, oncethey have logged into the server systems 202.

Turning to the configuration and ordering tools 210 in more detail,these tools may provide suitable graphical user interfaces (UIs) andrelated process flows by which the manufacturer 102 may obtain differentparameters related to one or more wire/cable pulls to be performed on acontractor job site. FIG. 2 illustrates several non-limiting examples ofsuch parameters, denoted generally at 212.

Turning to the parameters 212 in more detail, these parameters 212 mayinclude a representation of a job or site identifier where thewire/cable pulls are scheduled to occur. FIG. 2 denotes the job or siteidentifier at 212A.

At a given job or site indicated by the identifier 212A, one or moredifferent wire/cable pulls or runs may be scheduled and provisionedusing the configuration and ordering tool 210. FIG. 2 denotes arepresentative run identifier at 212B, but it is noted that theconfiguration and ordering tool may provision any number of wire/cableruns for a given job site.

For a given wire/cable run or pull, the configuration and ordering tools210 may gather different parameters. For example, FIG. 2 denotes alength of the pull at 212C, with the pull typically involving pullingwire or cable through a run of conduit or involving running armoredcable, such as metal-clad (“MC”) cable. According to embodiments, anarmored cable includes a wire bundle consisting of individuallyinsulated conductors covered by an armor, or flexible layer of material,such as metal. Generally, runs involving armored cable do not require aconduit through which the armored cable needs to be pulled since thearmor of the armored cable acts like the conduit. The pull lengthparameters 212C may be specified in feet, yards, or other appropriateunits of measure.

FIG. 2 denotes a size and/or configuration of the conduit at 212D forpulls involving a conduit. More specifically, the conduit configurationparameters 212D may represent the diameter of the conduit through whichthe wire or cable is to be pulled. This conduit size or diameter may beexpressed and represented using any suitable nomenclature known to thoseskilled in the art.

In addition, the conduit configuration parameters 212D may indicate ageneral layout or configuration of a given conduit run. For example, theconduit configuration parameters 212D may indicate whether the conduitrun includes any bends. For conduit runs that include bends, the conduitconfiguration parameters 212D may indicate how many and what types ofbends occur, and the like. The conduit configuration parameters 212D mayindicate whether the conduit run includes any intermediate pull orjunction boxes, and the locations of any such boxes. Finally, theconduit configuration parameters 212D may indicate whether the conduititself is constructed of metallic or plastic (e.g., polyvinyl chloride(PVC)) materials.

The configuration parameters 212 may include parameters representingparticular conductors involved with a given run, denoted generally at212E. The conductor parameters 212E may indicate how many conductors(whether individual wires or cables that include multiple wires) areincluded in a given run, how many conductors are included within thearmor of an armored cable, as well as the size and type of theseconductors. These conductor sizes or types may be expressed andrepresented using any suitable nomenclature known to those skilled inthe art. The configuration parameters 212 may also specify whether agiven conductor is copper, aluminum, or other conductive material.

The configuration parameters 212 may include parameters representingcolors of insulation desired for particular conductors, as denotedgenerally at 212F. As understood by those skilled in the art, certaincolors chosen for a given circuit may convey corresponding electricalfunctions. These colors and functions may vary depending on whether thecircuit is operating at high-voltage or at low-voltage. For example, ineither high-voltage or low-voltage scenarios, green-colored conductorstypically function as circuit grounds. In high-voltage scenarios, brown,orange, or yellow conductors may indicate “hot” circuit functions, whilegray conductors may indicate circuit neutrals. In low-voltage scenarios,black, red, or blue conductors may indicate “hot” circuit functions,while white conductors may indicate circuit neutrals. In general, theseconductor colors may be expressed and represented using any suitablenomenclature and conventions known to those skilled in the art.

In previous techniques, phase tape may be applied to, for example, blackconductors to represent different circuit functions. However, applyingphase tape to these different conductors may be laborious and errorprone. For example, cross-phasing the electrical supply to, for example,three-phase equipment may damage this equipment. However, thecolor-coded conductors provided as part of the integrated systems 110may reduce or eliminate the use of phase tape on individual conductors.

The configuration parameters 212 may indicate whether the wires orcables are to be equipped with pulling eyes, as represented generally at212G. These pulling eyes are described in more detail below. Inoverview, the manufacturers 102 or distributors 104 may install, attheir facilities, pulling eyes onto a leading end of the wires that aredelivered to the contractors 106. These pulling eyes facilitateattaching pulling ropes to the ends of the wires, for pulling into andthrough the conduit. Because the pulling eyes are affixed at the factorybefore delivery to the contractors 106, personnel associated with thecontractors 106 are relieved from the labor and time involved withconfiguring the ends of the wires for the pulls. For example, usingprevious techniques, contractor personnel may create a pulling head bystripping some length of the insulation from the end of a wire, therebyexposing the bare metallic conductor or conductors. In cases where thewire is a stranded conductor, at least some of the outer strands may beuntwisted and pulled back, and the interior strands cut out. In turn,the outer strands may be attached to or twisted around a pulling rope insome convenient fashion to form a pulling head. The whole connection maybe wrapped with adhesive tape (e.g., duct tape or electrical tape)further to secure the connection between the pulling rope and the wire.

In these previous techniques for creating pulling heads, however, thepulling tension is borne by only a subset of the conductor strands,namely the strands that are not cut off when creating the pulling heads.Because only a subset of the conductor strands are bearing the pullingtension, the maximum pulling tension that a given pulling head maywithstand before failing may be reduced. However, as described infurther detail below, the pulling eyes are attached to all of thestranded conductors, such that the pulling tension is transferred to allof the stranded conductors, rather than only a subset thereof.Accordingly, implementations of the integrated systems 110 thatincorporate the pulling eyes may achieve higher maximum pullingtensions. In addition, pulling heads that incorporate the pulling eyesmay be shorter in length and more flexible than conventional pullingheads, and thus may travel through bends in conduit runs more readilywithout snagging or binding.

Typically, pulls through conduits may experience bends having any angleup to or possible more than approximately 90°. The pulling eyesdescribed herein may be of any length suitable for clearing such bendswithout binding or jamming during pulls.

Using the pulling eyes affixed to the ends of the wires, the pullingrope may be attached to the wires, while reducing the labor time andcost associated with previous techniques for forming the pulling head.In general, configuration parameters 212F associated with a given wireor conductor may indicate whether that given wire or conductor is to beequipped with a pulling eye. For example, for an armored cable run, allof the conductors making up the armored cable may be equipped with apulling eye, or a portion of the conductors making up the armored cablemay be equipped with a pulling eye while the remaining conductors arenot equipped with a pulling eye. In cases where multiple types ofpulling eyes are available, the configuration parameters 212F mayidentify which type of pulling eye is to be attached to the given wireor conductor.

The parameters 212 may also include an armor size/configurationparameter 212H for runs involving armored cable, such as MC cable. Thearmor size/configuration parameter 212H may indicate the size of thearmor to be associated with the armored cable as well as the type ofmaterial the armor itself is to be constructed of, such as metal. As isknown by one skilled in the art, the size of the armor to be associatedwith the armored cable may be determined based on the number and size ofconductors to be included within the armor as provided by the conductorparameters 212E. The armor size may be expressed and represented usingany suitable nomenclature known to those skilled in the art. Inaddition, the armor size/configuration parameter 212H may indicate ageneral layout or configuration of a given armored cable run.

FIG. 3 illustrates additional details, denoted generally at 300,relating to inputs and outputs of the configuration and ordering tool210 shown in FIG. 2. For example, the manufacturer 102 may receive agiven order 302 from a given contractor 106, with this order 302specifying one or more of the various configuration parameters 212 shownin FIG. 2. In turn, the configuration and ordering tool 210 may processthese configuration parameters 212, and calculate pull tensions 304expected for the various pulls or runs included in the order 302. Forexample, the configuration and ordering tool 210 may consider the sizeand configuration of the conduit or armored cable involved in a givenrun, the length of the run, the size and types of the variousconductors, and other relevant factors in computing the expected pulltension for that given run.

The configuration and ordering tool 210 may also recommend appropriatepulling equipment for a given run, based at least in part on the pulltension 304 calculated for the given run. Examples of pulling equipmentmay include tuggers, which typically have maximum rated pullingcapacities. In an example scenario, if the pull tension 304 iscalculated as a maximum of 2,000 pounds, the configuration and orderingtool 210 may recommend equipment capable of generating at most 2,000pounds of force. In this example, providing equipment capable ofgenerating any force more than 2,000 pounds would be an unnecessaryexpense. FIG. 3 denotes at 306 a representation of the pulling equipmentrecommended for a given pull. If a given order 302 includes multipledifferent pulls with different calculated tensions 304, therecommendations 306 may suggest a tugger having capacity sufficient tohandle the largest calculated tension 304.

FIG. 4 illustrates various components, denoted generally at 400, thatmay be included in the integrated systems 110 for wire and cableinstallations. In illustrating and describing these example components,it is noted that implementations of this description may include atleast one of these components, but may not necessarily include all ofthese components.

The integrated system 110 may include any number of insulatedconductors, represented generally at 402. These conductors may beconfigured in any number of different ways, to reduce the force involvedwith installing the insulated conductors through conduit. For example,the insulation of the conductors may be pre-lubed during manufacture, asdistinguished from having lubricant applied to the conductors whenpreparing the pull at the jobsite. The various issued patents,provisional applications, and non-provisional patent applicationsincorporated herein by reference above provide various non-limitingexamples of the pre-lubed insulated conductors 402. However, it is notedthat implementations of this description may include other examples ofthe pre-lubed insulated conductors 402 without departing from the scopeand spirit of this description.

The integrated system 110 may include any number of color-codedconductors, represented generally at 404. For example, recallingprevious description of FIG. 2, the configuration and ordering tool 210may enable the contractor 106 to specify conductor colors 212F for agiven order. As discussed previously, different colors of conductors mayconvey particular electrical functions, as understood by those skilledin the art.

In further embodiments, the integrated system 110 may include armoredcable, represented generally at 405. As discussed above, the armoredcable may include a number of conductors covered by an armor, such asmetal.

The conductors 402 provided by a given implementation of the integratedsystem 110, whether these conductors are pre-lubed and/or color-coded,may be delivered so that multiple different conductors are provided forpayoff on a single given reel, denoted generally at 406. For example, ifa given order specifies three different conductors having threedifferent insulation colors, the integrated system 110 fulfilling thisorder may provision these three different conductors on the same reel.Accordingly, the integrated system 110 may enable all three conductorsto be payed-off or dispensed from the same reel in parallel with oneanother.

In addition, the conductors as loaded onto the same reel may be cut tolength, recalling, for example, that a pull length may be specified fora given run of conduit (e.g., at 212C in FIG. 2). For example, servicecenters operated by the manufacturers may load and supply these reels asa service to the contractors.

In some implementation scenarios, the reels may be compartmentalized, tocontain the different colors of conductors in respective compartments.In other implementation scenarios, the reels may include a singlecompartment that contains all the different colors of conductors.

In contrast, previous techniques may fulfill this given order bydelivering three different reels, each of which would contain one of thedifferent conductors. In these previous techniques, the three differentconductors would be payed-off simultaneously from three different reels,further complicating installation of the conductors. Subsequent drawingsillustrate and provide further details related to these single-reelscenarios.

The integrated systems 110 as delivered to a given contractor 106 may bedelivered with a consolidated payoff system, as denoted generally at408. Typically, using previous techniques, reels containing conductorswould be installed on apparatus configured on an ad hoc basis at thejobsite. However, these delivered reels may be quite heavy and difficultto manhandle into position, with the attendant risk of strain and injuryto workers. However, the consolidated payoff system 408, as illustratedin further detail below, may expedite and facilitate setup of thedelivered reels, and may reduce or eliminate manual positioning andleveling of these delivered reels. For example, forklifts or othermachinery may maneuver the consolidated payoff system 408 as a singleunit into position. Once the payoff system 408 is in place, workers mayadjust the system as appropriate to pay-off the conductors into theconduit.

The integrated systems 110 may also include delivered wires, conductors,or armored cable that have pulling eyes installed onto their ends. FIG.4 denotes these pulling eyes generally at 410, and subsequent drawingsprovide further details relating to these pulling eyes.

The integrated systems 110 may also deliver specialized pulling ropes,denoted generally at 412. For example, these pulling ropes may be coatedor impregnated with specialized low-friction compounds, similar to thecompounds that impregnate the pre-lubed insulated conductors 402. Inprevious techniques for pulling conductors through conduit, contactbetween the rope and the conduit may contribute considerable friction tothe overall pull, thereby increasing the pulling tension. However, byreducing the friction between the pulling rope and the surroundingconduit, the integrated systems 110 may reduce the overall tensioninvolved in a given pull. In addition, abrasive or high-friction ropemay damage conduit constructed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), resulting inburrs, notches, or debris left in the conduit. In turn, this damage tothe structure of the conduit may damage conductors and insulation whenthe wires are pulled into the conduit. However, the specialized pullingrope 412 may be constructed of nylon, and impregnated with low-frictioncompound.

A variable-speed tugger 414 may also be provided as part of theintegrated systems 110. The variable speed tugger 414 may include a drumto which the pulling rope 412 is attached. In some implementations, thisvariable-speed tugger 414 may be an electric motor controllable by atwo-speed switch or a variable-speed switch. This electric motor may befitted with an output shaft connected to a 90° output chuck, with thisoutput chuck coupled to drive the drum of the tugger 414.

The integrated systems 110 may also include one or more protectivecovering 416 made of a low-friction material (e.g., NYLON, PVC, or anypolymeric materials), with these coverings 416 being adapted forplacement around a pulling head before commencing a given pull. Morespecifically, these coverings 416 may conceal any hardware included aspart of the pulling head that might contribute to increased friction,thereby reducing the risk that this hardware may contact the conduitthrough which the conductors are pulled. As described previouslyregarding the insulated conductors 402, the protective coverings 416 maycontribute, along with other factors, to reducing the force involvedwith drawing the pulling head though conduit during a given pull. Forexample, the protective coverings 416 may be pre-lubed duringmanufacture and/or have lubricant applied to the coverings whenpreparing the pull at the jobsite.

FIG. 5 illustrates multiple conductors 402 loaded in parallel onto asingle reel 406 to be payed-off in parallel during installation at acontractor job site. For ease of reference, but not to limit possibleimplementations, FIG. 5 carries forward three examples of theseconductors, denoted respectively at 402A, 402B, and 402N. However,implementation of this description may include any number of conductors402 delivered on a single reel 406. In a further embodiment, multipleparallels, each consisting of one or more conductors 402, may be woundonto the reel 406 in layers, one on top of the other, as will bedescribed below in regard to FIGS. 27-31. Each parallel on the reel 406may then be payed-off separately for multiple, independent wire/cablepulls.

In example implementation scenarios, the conductors 402 may be of anyconvenient size or type. In different possible implementations, thedifferent conductors 402A-402N may or may not be of the same size ortype. For example, conductors 402 that serve as circuit neutrals may bedownsized, relative to conductors 402 that serve as higher-voltagesupplies.

The conductors 402 may include insulation 502A-502N (collectively,insulation 502) of any suitable thickness, composition, or type. Inaddition, the insulation 502 may be color-coded as discussed above inconnection with the color-coded conductors 404 in FIG. 4. In somescenarios, the insulation 502 may also be marked with footage markers,to indicate how much wire has been payed-off from the reel 406 at agiven time.

As also described above, the insulation 502 may be impregnated or coatedwith a suitable lubricant as part of the process of manufacturing theinsulation 502, as distinguished from previous techniques in whichlubricant is applied to the exterior of the insulation 502 just prior tothe conductors 402 being pulled through the conduit.

As shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the insulation 502 has been strippedfrom the end of the conductors 402, exposing the bare metal cables orwires 504A-504N (collectively, wires 504) underneath. The wires 504 maybe of any convenient size or type, and may represent solid wires orstranded cables, as appropriate in different installations. In addition,the wires 504 may be constructed of any suitable conductive material,including, but not limited to, copper and aluminum.

FIG. 6 illustrates additional details, denoted generally at 600, ofpayoff systems that may be included in some instances of the integratedsystems 110 for wire and cable installations. For convenience ofdescription, but not to limit possible implementations, FIG. 6 may beunderstood as elaborating further on the payoff systems 408 shown aboveand described in FIG. 4. In addition, FIG. 6 carries forward arepresentative reel 406, from which any number of different conductors402A-402N may be payed-off in parallel with one another.

Turning to the payoff systems 408 in more detail, these systems 408 mayinclude a base platform 602 of sufficient size and weight to providestability for the overall systems 408 during shipment, delivery, andinstallation at a construction job site. The base platform 602 isgenerally horizontal in configuration and may include two or more slots610 or channels in the base spaced such that the payoff system 408 maybe lifted and carried as a single unit by a standard forklift. Thepayoff systems 408 may also include vertical supports 604A and 604B(collectively, vertical supports 604). The vertical supports 604 mayrotateably support the ends of the reel 406, allowing the reel 406 tospin while paying-off the conductors 402. The reel 406 may also includeflanges 606A and 606B (collectively, flanges 606) to direct theconductors 402 away from the vertical supports 604.

The payoff systems 408 may also include leveling mechanisms 608A and608B (collectively, leveling mechanisms 608), respectively attached tothe vertical supports 604A and 604B. More specifically, the levelingmechanism 608A is disposed between the platform 602 and the verticalsupport 604A, while the leveling mechanism 608B is disposed between theplatform 602 and the vertical supports 604B. In general, the levelingmechanisms 608 may operate to level the reel 406. For example, assumingthat the platform 602 is set upon uneven ground, the leveling mechanisms608 may adjust the orientation of the vertical supports 604 relative tothe platform 602, to level the reel 406. The leveling mechanisms 608 mayoperate by any suitable means, including but not limited to, mechanical,hydraulic, pneumatic, or other similar means.

FIG. 7 illustrates example pulling eyes, denoted generally at 700, thatmay be attached to a terminal end of the conductors 402 provided as partof the integrated systems 110 for wire and cable installations. For easeof reference, but not to limit possible implementations, FIG. 7 carriesforward an example conductor 402, with a portion of the insulation 502stripped to expose the bare cable or wire 504. It should be understoodby those skilled in the art that the conductor 402 may be includedwithin an armor of an armored cable.

The pulling eye 700 may generally include a somewhat elongated bodyportion 702, which defines an interior cavity 704 along at least part ofthe body portion 702. In turn, the bare cable or wire 504 may beinserted into the cavity 704, and the body portion 702 may be crimped,swaged, or otherwise secured to the wire. In scenarios in which the bodyportion 702 is crimped onto the wire 504, the dimensions of the bodyportion 702 (more specifically, the wall thickness) may be chosen asappropriate to provide a solid crimp. More specifically, the crimpstrength may be sufficient to withstand the tension that the conductor402 is expected to encounter while being pulled into the conduit.

In other implementation scenarios, the pulling eyes 700 may include awedging mechanism, set screws, or other mechanical mechanisms operativeto secure the body portion 702 to the exposed cable or wire 504.

In implementations in which the pulling eyes 700 are crimped onto theends of the conductors 402, the pulling eyes 700 may be manufactured ofmaterial suitable for crimping (e.g., aluminum, or alloys thereof). Ingeneral, the pulling eyes 700 may be manufactured using any suitableprocesses, including but not limited to, machining from a single pieceof stock aluminum or other material, as well as forging, casting,molding, or the like. In addition, the pulling eye 700 may define anaperture 706 through which a pulling rope may be secured, as describedfurther below with FIG. 8.

As compared to previous approaches, in which pulling heads are createdfor a given conduit run or armored cable run on an ad hoc basis at thejobsite, the pulling eyes 700 as installed by the manufacturers mayprovide a more standardized and reliable connection to the conductors.Moreover, engineering techniques and quality control processes in placeat the manufacturer's facilities may overcome the variability anddeviations typically experienced with ad hoc installations done at thejobsite by differently-skilled personnel. In some cases, themanufacturers may publish specifications indicating maximum tensionratings applicable to particular installations of the pulling eyes 700to the conductors 402.

In some scenarios, the pulling eyes 700 may double as hardware that issuitable for electrically coupling the conductors 402 to terminatingswitchgear or equipment. For example, an end 708 of the pulling eyes 700that is opposite the end where the conductor 402 enters may be flattenedor otherwise adapted to be bolted into a lug or other attachmentmechanism provided by the terminating switchgear or equipment. In thismanner, the pulling eyes 700 so configured may save labor time inpreparing the conductors 402 for connection to the terminatingswitchgear or equipment.

FIG. 8 illustrates additional examples, denoted generally at 800, ofpulling eyes 700A, 700B, and 700C, as attached respectively to theterminal ends of conductors 402A, 402B, and 402C. In furtherembodiments, the conductors 402A, 402B, and 402C may be included withinan armor of an armored cable. The pulling eyes 700 are connectedrespectively to pulling ropes 802A, 802B, and 802C (collectively,pulling ropes 802). More specifically, connecting rings, carabiners, ordevises 804A, 804B, and 804C (collectively, connecting rings 804) maypass through the apertures 706 shown in FIG. 7, and couple the pullingeyes 700 to the pulling ropes 802. However, some implementations of thisdescription may omit the connecting rings 804, in favor of passing anend of the pulling rope 802 through the aperture in the pulling eye 700and fastening the end of the pulling rope back on itself. The end of thepulling rope 802 may be swaged, crimped, or otherwise attached to themain body of the pulling rope, forming a loop that secures or capturesthe pulling eye 700. As shown in FIG. 8, the pulling ropes 802 may belinked to a common hook clip 806 for pulling through the conduit.

In the examples shown in FIG. 8, the different pulling ropes 802 aredifferent lengths. These different lengths effectively stagger thedifferent pulling eyes 700A, 700B, and 700C within the conduit, therebyreducing the risk that the pulling eyes 700 may jam within the conduit.In contrast, if the three pulling ropes 802 were the same lengths, thethree pulling eyes 700 may stack one on top of the other, and if theconduit is sufficiently small in diameter, these three stacked pullingeyes 700A, 700B, and 700C may jam when pulled through the conduit.Regarding armored cable, the staggering of the different pulling eyes700 allows the total diameter of the armored cable with the pulling eyesaffixed to the included conducts to be smaller than if the differentpulling eyes were staked one on top of the other.

Turning to the pulling ropes 802 in more detail, as described above,these pulling ropes 802 may be coated or impregnated with low-frictioncompound to reduce friction and pulling force within the conduit duringa pull. This low-friction compound may or may not be similar to thelubricant used to pre-lubricate the insulated conductors, as describedabove in FIG. 4 in block 402. In this manner, the pulling ropes 802 mayreduce pulling tension during a given run. The pulling ropes 802 may beconstructed of metallic or non-metallic materials.

FIG. 9 illustrates the snap hook 806 and the pulling ropes 802A, 802B,and 802C carried forward from FIG. 8. A pulling head 902 may includedifferent types of mechanisms 806 (e.g., including but not limited tothe snap hook example shown in FIG. 9) for attaching to the pullingropes 802. Other examples of the attachment mechanisms 806 may includethe various pulling eyes and devises illustrated and described herein,suitable for attaching the pulling ropes 802 to one another for pullingwires or cables through conduit. FIG. 9 illustrates a protective cover904 that may be installed over the pulling head 902 to reduce frictionencountered by the pulling head 902 when a given run of wire or cable ispulled through conduit. The protective cover 904 may define a slit oraperture 906 through which at least a portion of the snap hook 806 maypass. In example implementations, the protective cover 904 may beconstructed from a suitable polymeric material. The protective cover 904may also contribute to reducing the force involved with drawing thepulling head 902 through the conduit.

In some implementations, the protective cover 904 may include shrinkabletubing applied over the pulling head 902, which may be constructed usingany of the techniques provided herein. The shrinkable tubing may providea low-friction jacket or covering over at least a portion of the pullinghead 902. In some cases, the shrinkable tubing may shrink when heatedwith an external source, referred to as “heat” shrinking In other cases,the shrinkable tubing without heating, and thus characterized as “cold”shrinkable tubing. This “cold” shrinkable tubing may allow installationpersonnel to apply the shrinkable tubing to the pulling head 902 withoutusing torches or heating sources, which may simplify pulls in the field.Examples of shrinkable tubing, whether characterized as “cold” orotherwise, are available commercially from a variety of vendors.

FIG. 10 illustrates alternative constructions of assembled pulling headassemblies, denoted generally at 1000. FIG. 10 carries forward examplesof insulated conductors, denoted respectively at 402A, 402B, 402C, and402N. However, it is noted that implementations of this description mayinclude pulling head assemblies that incorporate any convenient numberof individual insulated conductors 402. In further embodiments, thewires 402A, 402B, 402C, and 402N may be included within an armor of anarmored cable.

Turning to the pulling head assemblies 1000 in more detail, respectivepulling eyes 1002A-1002N (collectively, pulling eyes 1002) are shownaffixed to corresponding insulated conductors 402A-402N. It is notedthat the pulling eyes 1002 as shown in FIG. 10 provide alternatives tothe pulling eyes 700 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The pulling eyes 1002 areshown in more detail in FIG. 11 and discussed further below. Inoverview, however, the pulling eyes 1002 serve to attach the insulatedconductors 402 to respective pulling cables 1004A-1004N (collectively,pulling cables 1004). The pulling cables 1004 may be constructed of anysuitable metallic or nonmetallic material, and may be coated orimpregnated with friction-reducing compounds, as discussed in moredetail above. Without limiting possible implementations, the pullingcables 1004 may also represent pulling ropes, pulling members, strengthmembers, or the like.

The individual pulling cables 1004 may include loops, referencedcollectively at 1006, which may be formed by suitable crimps, swages, orother attachment means (denoted collectively at 1008). In turn, anynumber of the pulling cables 1004 may be connected to a clevis 1010. Theclevis 1010 may facilitate attachment of the pulling cables 1004 to thepulling rope 412. The pulling rope 412 may include a loop 1012facilitating attachment to the clevis 1010. The clevis 1010 may beconstructed of any suitable metallic or nonmetallic materials, chosen asappropriate for the loads anticipated to be borne by the clevis 1010during pulls of the completed head assembly through conduit. Inaddition, implementations of the clevis 1010 may be dimensioned andshaped differently from the examples shown in FIG. 10, without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the present description.

In different possible implementations, a given pulling cable 1004 may beattached to one or two of the pulling eyes 1002. For example, thepulling cables 1004C and 1004N may be the same pulling cable, with oneend attached to the pulling eye 1002C and the other end attached to thepulling eye 1002N. FIG. 8, described previously, illustrates examples inwhich the pulling ropes 802A-802C are attached to respective singlepulling eyes 700A-700C. However, the examples shown in FIG. 10 mayreduce the number of loops 1006 passing through the clevis 1010, byattaching two pulling eyes 1002 to a given pulling cable 1004. Finally,the clevis 1010 may be attached to a loop 1012 formed within a pullingrope 412 (carried forward for convenience from FIG. 4).

FIG. 11 illustrates the pulling eyes 1002 and the pulling cables 1004 inmore detail. More specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates how the pullingcable 1004 may pass through an aperture 1102 defined by the pulling eye1002, with a member 1104 crimped or otherwise attached onto an end 1106of the pulling cable 1004. As shown in FIG. 11, the pulling eye 1002 maydefine an interior cylindrical cavity 1108. After the member 1104 iscrimped onto the pulling cable 1004, the pulling eye 1002 may be slidover the member 1104 until the member 1104 contacts a front interiorportion 1110 of the pulling eye 1002.

In the examples shown in FIG. 11, the member 1104 may include anenlarged ball-shaped portion 1112 having a general dimension larger thanthe aperture 1102, sufficient to retain the member 1104 within thecylindrical cavity 1108. However, it is noted that the shape anddimensions of the member 1104 and the cylindrical cavity 1108 may varyin different implementations of this description. Accordingly, it isrecognized that the examples shown in FIG. 11 are provided only tofacilitate the present description, and other mechanisms for retainingthe member 1104 within the cylindrical cavity 1108 may be suitable indifferent implementation environments.

Although not shown in FIG. 11, a portion of the insulated conductors 402may be stripped to expose some length of the bare metal cable or wire(e.g., 504A-504N as shown in FIG. 5) within the insulated conductors402. In turn, the stripped or exposed length of bare metal wire may passinto the cylindrical cavity 1108. Afterwards, the pulling eye 1102 maybe crimped or otherwise attached to the bare metal wire 504. In thismanner, the pulling cables 1004 may be securely fastened to the baremetal cables or wires 504, using the pulling eyes 1102.

FIG. 12 illustrates examples, denoted generally at 1200, of a reel(e.g., 406 in previous description) that is loaded with a plurality ofconductors (e.g., 402A-402D) having insulation with different colors. Inthe example shown, the phase conductors 402A-402C may have brown,orange, and yellow insulation, to signify different phases in a giventhree-phase installation. In addition, a ground conductor 402D may havegreen insulation, or may have insulation of another suitable color toindicate ground. In general, the colors of the particular conductorsinvolved in a given pull may be specified by applicable electricalcodes, local usages or conventions, or other factors. Accordingly, theexamples presented herein are understood as illustrative, but do notlimit possible implementations of this description.

In the examples shown in FIG. 12, the individual brown, orange, yellow,and green conductors are wound onto a single reel. In turn, this singlereel may be delivered to a given jobsite, and all four of the conductorsmay be pulled from the single reel. At the jobsite, installationpersonnel may pull all four conductors from the single reel. Incontrast, previous techniques may involve delivering four differentreels to the jobsite, with each of the four reels containing a differentcolored conductor. At the jobsite, installation personnel would pull asingle conductor simultaneously from the four different reels. However,it is understood from this description that pulling from a single reelis more convenient than pulling from four different reelssimultaneously.

In some implementations, the reels 406 may be loaded with the multipleconductors at a facility, where the conductors themselves aremanufactured. In other implementations, a warehouse or distributionfacility may load the multiple conductors onto the single reels. Ingeneral, multiple differently-colored conductors may be loaded incombination onto single reels before delivering the single reels tojobsites, thereby relieving jobsite personnel from pulling from multiplereels simultaneously.

As also shown in FIG. 12, pulling eyes 1204A-1204D (collectively,pulling eyes 1204) may be fastened onto the ends of thedifferently-colored conductors 402A-402D and further attached tosuitable pulling ropes or cables 1202A-1202D. In general, the pullingeyes 1204 secure the pulling ropes or cables 1202A-1202D to the ends ofthe conductors 402. As described above, the end of each conductor 402may be stripped as appropriate to expose the bare metallic cable orwire, with the pulling eyes 1204 crimped or otherwise fastened directlyonto the wire.

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate aspects of the crimping of the pulling eyes1204 to the conductors 402. More specifically, FIG. 13A shows thepulling eye 1204 before the compression sleeve is crimped. The pullingeye 1204 may include areas 1302, represented in darker tone in FIG. 13,that indicate where the compression sleeve may be crimped. Inimplementations of this description, the areas 1302 may be colored,knurled, or otherwise visually distinguished from the rest of thepulling eye 1204. The areas 1402 may indicate to personnel where toalign dies or other crimping tools when compressing the sleeve.

FIG. 13B illustrates three successive crimps at 1304A, 1304B, and 1304C(collectively, crimps 1304). Any suitable crimping tool, as appropriatein different implementations, may form the crimps 1304 in a compressionsleeve provided by the pulling eye 1204. Comparing the crimps 1304A and1304C with the crimps 1304B, it is noted that implementations of thisdescription may rotate adjacent crimps 1304 relative to one another byapproximately 90°. Rotating the crimps 1304 in this manner may promote amore secure overall attachment between the pulling eyes 1204 and thebare cable or wire of the conductor 402. FIG. 13C shows an example ofthe successive crimps 1304 in approximately the same rotationalalignment. It is noted that implementations of the description mayemploy any number of crimps along the compression sleeve of the pullingeyes 1204, with the three crimps shown herein only for example.

The sleeves provided by the pulling eyes 1204 may be compressed usingsuitable dies. In some implementations, multiple crimps may be formedsimultaneously with multiple dies. In other implementations, multiplecrimps may be formed in sequence with a single die. The foregoingexamples may apply, whether the multiple crimps share a similarrotational alignment, or whether the multiple crimps are rotatedrelative to one another. As further shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C, thepulling eyes 1204 may bear indicia or marking indicating a number of dieused to create the crimps. The labels “123” shown in FIG. 13B and 1 Cprovide examples of such die markings.

FIG. 14 illustrates the four differently-colored conductors 402A-402Dthat are crimped onto pulling ropes or cables 1202A-1202D, carriedforward from FIG. 12. FIG. 14 also carries forward pulling eyes1204A-1204D, which fasten the pulling cables 1202A-1202D onto the endsof the conductors 402A-402D.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, the conductor 402A may represent aground conductor and the conductors 402B-402D may representcurrent-carrying phase conductors. The ground conductor 402A may besmaller in gauge or size than the three current-carrying phaseconductors 402B-402D. However, problems may arise when pulling theentire bundle of conductors 402A-402D through a conduit, if the smallerground conductor 402A bears a disproportionate share of the pullingtension, as compared to the other larger phase conductors 402B-402D.However, this description provides several approaches for reducing therisk that the smaller ground conductor 402A may be damaged by excessivepulling tension.

The upper portion of FIG. 14 provides an expanded view of the pullingeye 1204A that attaches the smaller ground conductor 402A to the pullingcable 1202A. As shown, one end of a spring or other resilient member1402 may engage an enlarged portion of a stop 1404 that is fastened ontothe end of the pulling cable 1202A. When the pulling eye 1204A is slidover the stop 1404 and the spring 1402, an opposite end of the spring1402 engages the front interior of the pulling eye 1204A.

Once the pulling eye 1204A is fastened onto the end of the smallerground conductor 402A, the spring 1402 may serve as a dampening memberbetween the pulling cable 1202A and the smaller ground conductor 402A.When the smaller ground conductor 402A is pulled through a conduit,along with the other larger conductors 402B-402D, the spring 1402 maydampen any excessive tension experienced by the smaller ground conductor402A during the pull, thereby protecting the smaller ground conductor402A from damage resulting from such excessive tension.

Referring to the lower portion of FIG. 14, this description providesother approaches for reducing the risk that the smaller ground conductor402A may experience damage from excessive tension during pulls. Theconductors 402A-402D may be positioned relative to one another in apulling head, such that some of the pulling cables 1202A-1202D arerelatively loose or slack, while at least one of these pulling cables1202A-1202D is tight. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the pulling cable1202B is tight, while the pulling cables 1202A, 1202C, and 1202D areloose. Accordingly, the tight pulling cable 1202B would initiallyexperience the bulk of the pulling tension, while the looser pullingcables 1202A, 1202C, and 1202D would experience less pulling tension.The tension would eventually spread out among all conductors during thepulling process. The smaller ground conductor 402A is shown fastened toone of the loose pulling cables 1202A. Typically, the ground conductor402A is smaller or downsized relative to the current-carryingconductors. Accordingly, maintaining some degree of looseness in thepulling rope 1202A as shown in FIG. 14 may reduce the pulling strainborne by the ground conductor 402A.

In other approaches, the ends of the conductors 402A-402D may be alignedrelative to one another to reduce the risk that the smaller groundconductor 402A may experience damage from excessive tension duringpulls. As shown in FIG. 16, the ends of the conductors 402D and 402C maybe separated by the distance “L”, and the ends of the conductors 402Cand 402B are also separated by approximately that distance “L”. However,the ends of the larger conductor 402B and the smaller ground conductor402A may be separated by a distance smaller or larger than that distance“L”. FIG. 14 provides an example in which the distance between the endsof the larger conductor 402B and the smaller ground conductor 402A isseparated by approximately half of that distance “L”. However, otherimplementations may separate the ends of these two conductors byapproximately twice that distance “L”.

FIG. 14 also illustrates additional examples of a clevis, denotedgenerally at 1406. As shown, the clevis 1406 may include roundedportions mounted within the ends of the clevis, for receiving andengaging loops formed by the pulling cables 1202 and the pulling rope412 (carried forward from FIG. 4). In some implementations of thisdescription, the clevis 1406 may include two or more different segmentsthat rotate or swivel relative to one another. Thus, the clevis 1406 maybe characterized as a “swivel” or “swiveling” clevis. For example,during a given pull, the pulling cables 1202 and/or the pulling rope 412may twist axially, experiencing forces as the pull proceeds. However,the swiveling devises 1406 may serve to isolate the pulling cables 1202and the pulling rope 412 from each other, allowing, for example, thepulling cables to twist axially relative to the pulling rope 412,without also exposing the pulling rope 412 to those same twistingforces.

FIG. 15 illustrates aspects of a variable speed tugger 1502 that someimplementations of the integrated systems for wire and cableinstallations may provide. FIG. 15 also carries forward a representativecable pulling head at 902, although the pulling heads shown in any ofthe Figures herein may be suitable for operation with the variable speedtugger 1502 as well.

Turning to the variable speed tugger 1502 in more detail, the variablespeed tugger 1502 may include circuitry or software adapted to senseresistance to an ongoing pull, represented generally by a vector 1504.This resistance may be attributable to friction and other forces withinthe conduit between the conductors being pulled, the pulling heads,and/or the involved pulling ropes. Other factors that may contribute tothis resistance include elastic bending governed by bending stiffnessproportional to Young's modulus, inelastic bending governed by yieldstress, surface deformation governed by hardness and scratch resistance.The Young's modulus, yield stress, hardness, and scratch resistance arephysical properties that can each be affected by the cable's sheathcomposition, including the amount of lubricant. The pulling force duringinstallation may also include a time varying, oscillating component.This oscillating component occurs when there is slack in portions of thecable and is affected by, for example, the difference between the staticcoefficient of friction and the kinetic coefficient of friction. Theoscillating component can also arise when cables jam while being pulledthrough angles, as is typical during installation. Cable jamming arisesspecifically when the cable cross-section changes shape during bending.In fact, for installations with severe angles, the coefficient offriction may not contribute appreciably to the pulling force.

In some cases, resistance may increase when the pulling heads reach abend or sweep within the conduit, and then decrease after the pullingheads pass through this bend or sweep. In addition, this resistance maybe attributable to obstructions or damage occurring within the conduit(e.g., burrs, foreign matter, physical damage, or the like). As thisresistance increases, the tension on the pulling ropes also typicallyincreases. In this scenario, the variable speed tugger 1502 may reducethe speed of the pull, thereby reducing the tension on the pullingropes. In this manner, the variable speed tugger 1502 may reduce therisk of exposing the pulling ropes to excessive tension, and/or damagingthe pulling heads.

As a given pull proceeds, resistance to the pull may decrease or remainat a relatively low level. FIG. 15 generally represents at 1506 a speedor tension of the pull at a given time. As this tension stays relativelylow or decreases, the variable speed tugger 1502 may increase the speedof the pull, at least until some maximum limit is reached. In thismanner, so long as resistance remains relatively low, the tugger 1502may increase the speed of the pull and reduce the overall time andexpense involved with the pull.

In previous techniques for pulling wires into conduit, lubricant istypically applied to the wires while they are pulled into and throughthe conduit. Hence, in these previous techniques, the speed with whichthe pull can be conducted may be limited by how quickly the lubricantcan be applied to the wires. Stated in different terms, lacing thelubricant on the wires during the pull may be a performance bottleneck.However, the various reduced installation force techniques andcomponents provided as part of the integrated systems 110 may contributeto eliminating the performance bottleneck, allowing the overall pull tobe conducted more quickly. Accordingly, the variable speed tugger 1502may take advantage of the performance potential offered by theintegrated systems 110 by increasing the pull speed as appropriate incertain circumstances.

The tugger 1502 may include appropriate mechanical components, such asan electric drive motor (not shown), which may drive a rotating circulardrum 1508. Only for example, FIG. 15 carries forward the pulling rope412 from FIG. 4. The pulling rope 412 may be attached to the cablepulling head 902, with the pulling rope 412 secured to and wrappedaround the rotating drum 1508. When the drum 1508 rotates, the pullingrope 412 may be wound onto the drum 1508 in the direction indicated bythe arrow 1510, thereby drawing the cable pulling head 902 through agiven run of conduit.

Considered as a whole, the tugger 1502 may have weight sufficient toresist pulling forces likely to be encountered when pulling the head 902through a given run of conduit. Accordingly, the tugger 1502 may providea mass that is relatively immovable, as compared to the forcesencountered in a given pull. It is further noted that various tuggers1502 having different pulling capacities may be appropriate in differentpulls, depending upon the pulling forces expected to be encounter duringthose pulls.

FIG. 16 illustrates additional examples, denoted generally at 1600, ofpulling eyes suitable for operation with the integrated systems for wireand cable installations. More specifically, FIG. 16 illustrates examplesof pulling eyes, denoted at 1602A, in which a cylindrical sleeve orbarrel portion 1604A is threaded to receive a head portion 1606A. Putdifferently, the sleeve or barrel portion 1604A may be threaded to matchcorresponding threads on the head portion 1606A. As indicated at 1608,the sleeve or barrel portion 1604A may be marked as appropriate toindicate where to place a crimping tool, when fastening the pulling eye1602A onto the end of a conductor.

FIG. 16 illustrates other examples of pulling eyes, denoted generally at1602B, in which a head portion 1606B is threaded to receive acylindrical sleeve or barrel portion 1604B. In addition, the headportion 1606B may define any number of apertures 1610A and 1610N(collectively, apertures 1610). These apertures 1610 may receive setscrews or other suitable fasteners 1612A and 1612N (collectively,fasteners 1612), configured to secure the head portion 1606B to thesleeve or barrel portion 1604B. In example shown in FIG. 16 at 1602B,the fasteners 1612 may engage a threaded portion of the apertures 1610when the pulling eye 1602B is assembled, thereby locking the headportion 1606B relative to the cylindrical sleeve or barrel portion1604B.

As shown generally at 1602C, the pulling eyes may be assembled onto agiven pulling cable or rope, as carried forward from FIG. 12 at 1202A.First, the pulling cable 1202 is passed through the interior of acylindrical sleeve or barrel portion 1604C (which represents either thebarrel portions 1604A or 1604B), and through the interior of a headportion 1606C (which represents either the head portions 1606A or1606B). Afterwards, the head portion 1606C and the sleeve/barrel portion1604C are threaded together. Finally, fasteners 1612B and 1612 m may bethreaded through the head portion 1606C, to engage the sleeve/barrelportion 1604C.

FIG. 16 illustrates at 1602D an assembled pulling eye 1616 as installedonto a pulling rope or cable 1202B. In general, the assembled pullingeye at 1616 may represent any of the configurations illustrated at1602A, 1602B, or 1602C. As described in previous drawings, a stop 1604may be fastened onto the end of the pulling cable 1202B. In addition,one end of a spring or other resilient member 1602 may engage the stop1604, and another end of the spring 1602 may engage the interior of thefront of the assembled pulling eye 1616. Typically, the head portions1606A-1606C (collectively, head portions 1606) may be captured onto thepulling cables 1202 during manufacture, when the stop 1604 is fastenedto the end of the pulling cable 1202. As described in further detailbelow, the pulling cable 1202 and the head portions 1606 may be reusableover any number of individual pulls, while the sleeves or barrelportions 1604 may be replaced for different pulls, with new sleeves orbarrel portions 1604 attached to the head portions 1606 for each pull.

Once one or more given conductors are pulled through a conduit, theassembled pulling eye 1616 may be disassembled as follows. First, if theassembled pulling eye 1616 includes fasteners (e.g., 1612A-1612 m,collectively fasteners 1612), these fasteners 1612 may be loosened,allowing the head portions 1606 to unthread relative to the sleeve orbarrel portions 1604. Otherwise, the head portions 1606 may be unscreweddirectly from the sleeve or barrel portions 1604. Once the head portions1606 and the sleeve or barrel portions 1604 are completely disengagedfrom one another, the pulling cables 1202B and head portions 1606 may beseparated from the conductor as pulled through the conduit, and reusedin future conduit runs.

Referring to the head portions 1606, these head portions may beconnected to any number of different sleeve or barrel portions 1604.More specifically, different sleeve or barrel portions 1604 may be sizedas appropriate to receive conductors of different sizes or gauges. Thus,the different sleeve or barrel portions 1604 may have different physicaldimensions (e.g., inside diameters, outside diameters, lengths,thickness, compositions, etc.). However, these different sleeve orbarrel portions 1604 may neck down or up as appropriate to couple tocommon-sized head portions 1606. Thus, the head portions 1606 may beused to pull a variety of differently sized conductors through conduit,by connecting to differently sized sleeve or barrel portions 1604.

In light of the foregoing description, the physical connection interfacebetween the head portions 1606 and the differently sized sleeve orbarrel portions 1604 may be standardized. For example, the sleeve orbarrel portions 1604 and the head portions 1606 may be joined by matingthreaded members. However, the examples shown in FIG. 16 are providedonly to facilitate the present description, and implementations of thisdescription may employ other standardization techniques withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of this description.

Having described the examples of the head portions 1606 and sleeves 1604in FIG. 16, several observations are noted. Although FIG. 16 illustratesthreaded head portions and sleeves, implementations of this descriptionmay also include smooth or non-threaded head portions and sleeves, whichslide together into engagement. Examples of such smooth head portionsand sleeves are described in more detail below in FIG. 20. In addition,implementations of the fasteners 1612 may include pins that slide intothe apertures 1610 in the head portion 1606 and into correspondingapertures defined in the sleeves 1604. When the head portion 1606 andthe sleeve 1604 are engaged with one another, their correspondingapertures may align, to receive the pin. It is further noted that eitherthe head portion 1606 or the sleeve 1604 may serve as a male portion inthis engagement relationship shown in FIG. 16.

FIG. 17 illustrates examples of non-threaded pulling eyes, denotedgenerally at 1700. As shown in FIG. 17, a representative head portion1701 may define a passageway 1702, sized as appropriate to receive a pin1704. As understood from FIG. 17, the head portions 1701 provideadditional examples of the head portions 1606 shown in FIG. 16. Further,implementations of this description may include head portions 1701 and1606 having different configurations without departing from the scopeand spirit of the present description.

As indicated at 1706, the head portion 1701 may slide into arepresentative sleeve or barrel portion 1604, carried forward from FIG.16. More specifically, the sleeve or barrel portion 1604 may becylindrical in general configuration, defining an interior passageway1708. The interior passageway 1708 may be sized to receive the end ofthe head portion 1701.

In the examples shown in FIG. 17, the sleeve or barrel portion 1604 maydefine a passageway 1710, having an axis that is generally perpendicularto an axis of the interior passageway 1708. When the head portion 1701is slid sufficiently far into the barrel portion 1604, the passageway1702 aligns with the passageway 1710. In turn, this alignment may allowthe pin 1704 to slide into both passageways, as indicated at 1712, andsecure the pulling rope or cable 1172 to the barrel portion 1604.

The physical dimensions of the pin 1704 may vary in differentimplementations. For example, the non-threaded pulling eyes 1700 mayrely on a friction fit between the pin 1704 and the sleeve 1904 and/orthe head portion 1701 to secure the pin 1704 in place. In other cases,the pin 1704 may be secured in engagement with the sleeve or barrelportion 1604 and/or the head portion 1701 by separate fastening means(e.g., nuts, cotter pins, etc.).

As described above, the sleeve or barrel portion 1604 may be crimpedonto the end of a given conductor for pulling through conduit. In somecases, a given assembled non-threaded pulling eye 1700 may be assembledinto pulling heads that include one or more other assembled pullingeyes. These other pulling eyes in the pulling head may or may not be ofthe same type as the pulling eyes 1700.

Once the head portion 1701 is secured to the barrel portion 1604, thepull may proceed. After the pull is complete, the non-threaded pullingeyes 1700 may be disassembled by reversing the assembly processdescribed above. Afterwards, the crimped sleeve or barrel portion 1604may be discarded or recycled. However, the head portion 1701 may be usedrepeatedly for other pulls, after assembly with another sleeve or barrelportion 1604.

FIG. 17 illustrates examples in which the head portion 1701 is a maleportion that slides into a corresponding female portion provided by thesleeve or barrel portion 1604. However, it is noted that implementationsof this description may also include the head portion 1701 serving as afemale portion, which receives the barrel portion 1604 as a maleportion.

FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate examples, denoted generally at 1800, ofpay-off systems configured for delivery to job sites. More specifically,FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate example implementations of the payoffsystems as represented in block form at 408 in FIG. 4, and asrepresented at 600 in FIG. 6. As shown in the figures, a given reel thatis loaded with one or more appropriate conductors may loaded into agiven payoff system. In turn, that payoff system may be transported to ajobsite, with one or more other loaded and configured payoff systems.For example, a given jobsite may be scheduled for one or more differentpulls through different conduit systems, and a different payoff systemmay be configured for each of the different pulls.

FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate transporting the loaded payoff systems tothe jobsite using a flatbed trailer. At the jobsite, the conductors maybe pulled from the payoff systems while the payoff systems remain loadedon the trailer. However, in other scenarios, the payoff systems may beunloaded from the trailer and relocated where convenient on the jobsitebefore the conductors are pulled.

FIG. 19 illustrates additional examples of pulling eyes, denotedgenerally at 1900. In general, previous description directed to thepulling eyes applies equally to the pulling eyes 1900 shown in FIG. 19.However, FIG. 19 illustrates additional features that may be included inat least some implementations of the pulling eyes. For example, markings1902A, 1902B, and 1902C (collectively, markings 1902) may indicateexample orders or sequences for performing crimps when crimping thepulling eyes 1900. More specifically, a first crimp may be performed byplacing a crimping tool approximately where indicated by the marking1902A, a second sequential crimp may be performed by placing thecrimping tool approximately where indicated by the marking 1902B, and athird sequential crimp may be performed by placing the crimping toolapproximately where indicated by the marking 1902C.

As appreciated from reading the foregoing description with reference toFIG. 19, it is noted that the order of crimps proceed along arepresentative body or sleeve portion 1904 in the general directionindicated by the arrow 1906. More specifically, assuming that a givenpulling eye 1908 includes a head portion 1910 attached to the body orsleeve portion 1904, the first crimp performed approximately at themarking 1902A may be closest to the head portion 1910. The second crimpperformed approximately at the marking 1902B may be next closest to thehead portion 1910, while the last crimp performed approximately at themarking 1902C may be are farthest from the head portion 1910.

Crimping the body or sleeve portion 1904 may displace a certain portionof the material constituting the body or sleeve portion 1904. Inimplementations that perform the crimped sequence in the order indicatedby the sequential markings 1902A-1902C, the material displaced by thecrimping operations may generally flow in the direction indicated by thearrow 1904. In this manner, the displaced material may flow toward adistal end of a conductor onto which the pulling eye 1908 is crimped.

In light of the foregoing description, a first crimp performedapproximately where indicated by the marking 1902A may result in somedisplaced material flowing in both directions (i.e., some toward thehead portion 1910, and some displaced material flowing in the directionindicated by the arrow 1906). A second crimp performed approximatelywhere indicated by the marking 1902B may also result in some displacedmaterial flowing in both directions. However, displaced material flowingopposite the direction 1906 would be blocked by the first crimp 1902A.Similar considerations apply to material displaced by the third crimpperformed approximately where indicated by the marking 1902C.Accordingly, performing the crimps in the order indicated by themarkings 1902A-1902C may allow material displaced by the crimps to flowunimpeded along the body portion 1904 in the direction indicated by thearrow 1906.

In the examples shown in FIG. 19, the sequence of crimps is indicated bythe markings 1902A-1902C (e.g., one marking 1902Amay indicate the firstapproximate crimp location, two markings 1902B may indicate the secondapproximate crimp location, and so on). However, implementations of thisdescription may employ other techniques for indicating a suggestedsequence or order of crimps. For example, in some implementationscenarios, the body portions 1904 may be marked with numerals “1”, “2”,and “3”, to suggest crimping orders and/or locations.

In other examples, the body portions may be color-coded. For example, afirst sequential crimping location may be color-coded red, a secondsequential crimping location may be color-coded white, a thirdsequential crimping location may be color-coded blue, and so on. Thesecolor-coding crimping locations may be associated with a suitablemnemonic (e.g., “red-white-and-blue”).

For convenience of description only, and not to limit possibleimplementations, the foregoing drawings and description may relate toexamples including body portions that are crimped three times. However,implementations of this description may incorporate any suitable numberof crimps, without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentdescription.

As described above with previous drawings, successive or adjacent crimpsperformed along the body portion 1904 may be rotated relative to oneanother, as illustrated in, for example, FIGS. 14-16. As suggested inthese drawings, successive crimps may be rotated approximately 90°relative to one another. To facilitate these rotational alignmentsbetween adjacent or successive crimps, the body portion 1904 may bemarked to provide a guide for aligning a crimping tool and the bodyportion relative to one another when performing successive crimps. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 19, the pulling eye 1908 may include a markingline 1912 that intersects the markings 1902A-1902C, such that thecrimping tool may be oriented to intersections between the marking line1912 and the markings 1902A-1902C. FIG. 19 denotes a first suchintersection at 1914A (between the marking line 1912 and the firstmarking 1902A), a second such intersection at 1914B (between the markingline 1912 and the second marking 1902B), and a third such intersectionat 1914C (between the marking line 1912 and the third marking 1902C).

In light of the foregoing description, the pulling eye 1908 may becrimped by following the marking line 1912 along the body portion 1904,and placing the crimping tool approximately at the intersections1914A-1914C (collectively, intersections 1914) when performingsequential crimps. Following the intersections 1914 as indicated in FIG.19 may result in the rotationally offset sequence of crimps shownpreviously in FIG. 13. Although FIG. 19 provides examples in which themarking line 1912 traces a generally spiral configuration along the bodyportion 1904, other techniques for guiding the crimping process toachieve the rotationally offset sequence of crimps may be possible aswell. For example, the body portion 1904 may be marked with marks orhash marks (e.g., longitudinal with the body portion 1904) indicating arotational alignment for the crimping tool.

Referring to the head portions 1910, these head portions may beartextual or other subject matter. This subject matter may be printed,etched, embossed, debossed, textured, or otherwise visibly affixed tothe head portions 1910. Examples of the subject matter may include, butare not limited to: sizes of the conductors onto which a given pullingeye 1908 is crimped or sized to be crimped; trademarks, logos, or otherbranding information associated with the pulling eyes 1908, orassociated with integrated wire installation systems of which thepulling eyes 1908 are a part; or the like.

FIG. 20 illustrates a pulling eye 1908A, with the head portion 1910 andbody portion 1904 assembled. The markings 1902A-1902C and 1912 mayfacilitate sequential crimps along the body portion 1904, to attach thepulling eye 1908A onto a representative conductor 402. In addition, thepulling eye 1908A may include label 2004 that represents a size of theconductor, or any other suitable information.

Pulling eye 1908B is shown unattached to a conductor, and may includeother examples of labels 2006, featuring logos or the like. In someimplementations, a given pulling eye 1908 may include the label 2004 orthe label 2006. In other implementations, the given pulling eye 1908 mayinclude the label 2004 and the label 2006, with the labels 2004 and 2006appearing on different sides of the pulling eye 1908. In addition, thelabels 2004 and/or 2006 may appear in locations other than those shownin FIG. 20 without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentdescription.

FIG. 21 illustrates additional details of the pulling eyes, denotedgenerally at 2100, as the pulling eyes undergo crimping. As showngenerally at 2102, a representative pulling eye 1908A is slid over therepresentative conductor 402. At 2104, FIG. 21 provides an expandedinternal view of the representative pulling eye 1908A. This expandedinternal view is simplified and not drawn to scale, and is provided onlyto facilitate this description. Turning to the expanded internal view2104 in more detail, the representative pulling eye 1908A may define aninternal bore 2106 for receiving an end of the conductor 402. Forexample, the internal bore 2106 may be machined into blank stockmaterial using a suitable drill bit. The drill bit may have a taperedcutting end, such that it leaves an angled seat or lip portion 2108within the blank after the machining operation. Afterwards, another bore2110 may be drilled through the blank as shown, having a diameter D2that is smaller than the diameter D2.

The internal bore 2106 may be formed from a cylindrical blank ofmaterial by, for example, machining through the blank at a distance Lwith a drill bit having a diameter D1. Examples of suitable materialsmay include, but are not limited to aluminum, aluminum alloy (e.g.,O-tempered 6061 alloy), or other materials suitable for crimping ontoand engaging conductors. In general, the pulling eyes described hereinmay be manufactured from any metals having a relatively tacky orhigh-friction characteristic when cold, particularly when crimped intoclose contact with metals commonly used to manufacture electricalconductors (e.g., aluminum, copper, and the like).

As shown at 2112, the pulling eye 1908A may be crimped onto theconductor 402, with the crimping technique shown in FIG. 21 understoodas illustrative rather than limiting. FIG. 21 denotes at 1908B thepulling eye 1908A as crimped onto the conductor 402.

FIG. 21 shows at 2114 internal details relating to the crimped pullingeye 1908B. In the example shown, the pulling eye 1908B may be crimpedonto a stripped portion 2116 of the conductor 402, with the strippedportion 2116 passing into the internal bore 2106. A shank portion 2118of a stop member 2120 may pass into the smaller bore 2110, with a ballportion 2122 lodging against and contacting the lip portion 2108 whenthe stop member 2120 is fully seated internally within the pulling eye1908B (to the right in the example shown in FIG. 21). In some cases, anend of the shank portion 2118 may be exposed through the front of thepulling eyes 1908. When the diameter D2 is smaller than the diameter ofthe ball portion 2122, the ball portion 2122 may be captured internallywithin the crimped pulling eye 1908B.

The ball portion 2122 may be manufactured to a predefined dimension,depending on the size of the pulling eyes 1908 and/or the gauge of theconductor 402 with which the pulling eyes 1908 are to be used. Once theball portion 2122 is fully seated in the lip area 2108, it may provide astop that an end of the conductor 402 may contact. Put differently, theconductor 402 may be inserted into the pulling eye 1908 until the end ofthe conductor 402 rests against the ball portion 2122. At this point,the conductor 402 is fully bottomed in the pulling eye 1908, and thepulling eye 1908 may be crimped onto the conductor 402.

Some implementations of this description may employ insulation-strippingtools that remove a predefined length of insulation from the conductor402, exposing that length of bare metal. If some portion of the baremetal remains exposed after the conductor 402 is inserted into thepulling eye 1908, this may indicate that the conductor 402 is not fullybottomed in the pulling eye 1908 and may be inserted further to obtain amore secure crimp.

In the example shown in FIG. 21, the pulling eye 1908 is crimped ontothe bare metal conductor, with no insulation captured between thepulling eye 1908 and the bare metal conductor. Accordingly, pullingforces may be transmitted from the pulling eye 1908 directly to the baremetal conductor. However, other implementations are possible, in whichat least a portion of the crimp between the pulling eye 1908 and thebare metal conductor may capture at least a portion of the insulationaround the conductor 402.

In the crimping examples shown and described herein, the pulling eyesmay be crimped onto the outer surfaces of the conductors.Implementations of the crimping techniques described herein may utilizeall strands of the conductors, without removing or cutting any of thesestrands. As appreciated from this description, removing some of thestrands may reduce the pulling strength of the crimp between theconductor and the pulling eye. In addition, the crimping techniquesdescribed herein may operate without any additional plugs, wedges, orother devices forced into the strands of the conductor as part of thecrimping process. Accordingly, crimping forces may act only on the outerportion of the conductor, without utilizing such plugs, wedges, or thelike to generate counteracting forces internally from within the strandsof the conductor.

FIG. 22 illustrates examples of outside diameters, inside diameters, andwall thicknesses, denoted generally at 2200, suitable for implementingthe various pulling eyes described herein. FIG. 22 provides arepresentative pulling eye at 2202, with this pulling eye 2202 includinga cylindrical, hollow sleeve portion 2204 and a somewhat rounded headportion 2206. The various dimensions and proportions shown in FIG. 22are illustrative, and FIG. 22 is not drawn to scale.

As described previously, different pulling eyes 2202 may be provided forcrimping onto conductors having different sizes or gauges. Thus, thepulling eyes 2202 may be available in different sizes, according to thegauge of conductor being installed. In general, the length of the sleeveportions 2204 may be approximately the same, regardless of the size orgauge of the conductor being installed. However, the diameter of thesleeve portion 2204 may vary to accommodate different sizes or gauges ofconductors.

Likewise, the diameter of the head portion 2206 may also vary toaccommodate these different sizes or gauges of conductors. However, theoverall length of the head portion 2206 may vary, depending upon theradius of the rounded portion as shown in FIG. 22. Thus, although thelength of the sleeve portions 2204 may be approximately the sameregardless of the size or gauge of the conductor being installed, theoverall length of the pulling eyes 2202 may vary somewhat, with thisvariance attributable to deferring lengths of the head portions 2206.

As represented at 2208, FIG. 22 provides a representativecross-sectional view of one size of the pulling eye 2202. As representedat 2210, FIG. 22 provides a representative cross-sectional view ofanother size of the pulling eye 2202. In the example shown in FIG. 22,the view 2208 corresponds to a pulling eye 2202 sized for pulling asmaller conductor, as compared to the pulling eye represented in theview 2210.

Referring first to the view 2208, this size of the pulling eye 2202 maybe characterized by a first outside diameter (OD₁), and a first insidediameter (ID₁). The difference between the OD₁ and the ID₁ represents awall thickness associated with this size of the pulling eye 2202.

Referring now to the view 2210, this size of the pulling eye 2202 may becharacterized by a second outside diameter (OD₂), and a second insidediameter (ID₂). The difference between the OD₂ and the ID₂ represents awall thickness associated with this size of the pulling eye 2202.

Although FIG. 22 is not drawn to scale, the wall thicknesses of the twopulling eyes represented at 2208 and 2210 may be approximately equal,although the outside diameters and inside diameters may vary toaccommodate different sizes or gauges of conductors. More specifically,the inside diameters ID₁ and ID₂ may be sized to snugly receive aconductor having a given size or gauge. Put differently, the insidediameters ID₁ and ID₂ may be chosen for a given conductor gauge, suchthat the conductor encounters slight friction or physical resistancewhen being inserted into the pulling eye 2202. In differentimplementations, different tolerances or clearances are possible betweenthe pulling eye 2202 and the conductor. In example implementations,however, these tolerances may be less than or equal to approximately 100mils. However, experimentation in crimping the pulling eye 2202 withdifferent tolerances may yield similar or different results. The snugengagement described here may enable secure crimps without using theplugs, wedges, or other auxiliary devices, as described above.

Regarding the wall thicknesses, as defined by the inside diameters ID₁and ID₂ and the outside diameters OD₁ and OD₂, different wallthicknesses are possible in different implementations. In exampleimplementations, however, these wall thicknesses may be less than orequal to approximately ⅛″. Once again, however, experimentation withdifferent wall thicknesses and materials may yield similar or differentresults.

As described above, implementations of this description may employvarious techniques for indicating a sequence and/or rotationalorientation of successive or sequential crimps along pulling eyes.Referring to FIG. 23, this Figure illustrates sequences and/orrotational orientations, denoted generally at 2300, for performingsuccessive crimps along representative pulling eyes 2302 and 2304. Morespecifically, the representative pulling eyes 2302 and 2304 mayincorporate any number of color-coded areas 2306A, 2306B, and 2306C(collectively, color-coded areas 2306). These color-coded areas 2306 mayor may not include representations of the numbers (i.e., “1”, “2”, and“3”) as shown in FIG. 23.

In example implementations, the color-coded area 2306A may be printed orotherwise colored as red. The color-coded area 2306B may lored as white,and the color-coded area 23lC be colored as blue. Accordingly, thepulling eyes 2302 and 2304 may employ the color-coded areas 23l A-23lCconnection with a mnemonic or memory device, such as “red, white, andblue.” For example, the color-coded areas 2306A-2306C may suggest tooperations personnel to crimp the red area first, the white area second,and the blue area third.

As also indicated at 2302 and 2304, some implementations of the pullingeyes may indicate rotational orientations of successive crimps. In theexamples shown, the red area may be crimped at a given rotationalorientation, followed by crimping the white area offset by approximately90°, followed by crimping the blue area after offsetting byapproximately 90° from the previous crimp.

As shown at 2302, the pulling eyes may be printed or otherwise markedwith logos, trademarks, or other visual subject matter. As shown at2304, the pulling eyes may be marked to indicate a wire gauge for whicha given pulling eye is sized.

FIG. 24 illustrates sequences and/or rotational orientations, denotedgenerally at 2400, for performing successive crimps along representativepulling eyes 2402A, 2402B, 2402C, and 2402D (collectively, pulling eyes2402). In general, the pulling eyes 2402 may incorporate dashes or otherindicia to perform functions similar to those described above inconnection with the color-coded areas 2306 shown in FIG. 23. In theexample shown in FIG. 24, a location for a first crimp may be indicatedby a single dash (i.e., “I”), a location for a next crimp may beindicated by a double dash (i.e., “II”), and a location for a next crimpmay be indicated by a triple dash (i.e., “III”).

Similar to the above description regarding rotational orientation ofsuccessive crimps, the pulling eyes 2402 shown in FIG. 24 may alsosuggest orientation of a crimping tool when performing successivecrimps. For example, as shown most clearly at 2402B or 2402D, thelocation of the single dash may indicate where to orient the crimpingtool when performing the first crimp. As shown most clearly at 2402A or2402C, the location of the double dash may indicate where to orient thecrimping tool when performing the second crimp. As shown most clearly at2402B or 2402D, the location of the triple dash may indicate where toorient the crimping tool when performing the third crimp.

Although the description above is primarily focused on wire or cablespulled through conduit, the description may also be applied to armoredcable, such as MC cable, or any other cable not necessarily required tobe pulled through conduit. FIGS. 25A and 25B illustrate embodiments inwhich the cable is armored cable. FIG. 25A illustrates pulling headassemblies of an armored cable, denoted generally at 2500. Respectivepulling eyes 2506A-2506C are shown affixed to corresponding insulatedconductors 2504A-2504C which are encompassed by a covering or armor 2502which may be constructed of any suitable metallic or nonmetallicmaterial. It is noted that the pulling eyes 2506A-2506C as shown in FIG.25A may include any of the alternative pulling eyes discussed above andmay be affixed to the corresponding insulated conductors 2504A-2504C inany manner discussed above. The pulling eyes 2506A-2506C serve to attachthe insulated conductors 2504A-2504C to respective pulling cables2508A-2508C. Although FIG. 25A illustrates each of the insulatedconductors 2504A-2504C affixed with one of the pulling eyes 2506A-2506C,it should be understood that less than all of the insulated conductorsof the armored cable 2500 may be affixed with one of the pulling eyes.As discussed above, the pulling cables 2508A-2508C may be constructed ofany suitable metallic or nonmetallic material, and may be coated orimpregnated with friction-reducing compounds, as discussed in moredetail above. Moreover, the pulling cables 2508A-2508C may beconstructed in any manner as discussed above.

In order to construct the pulling head assemblies of the armored cable2500 illustrated in FIG. 25A, the armor 2502 of the armored cable may becut and removed to expose the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C;conductors, such as a ground conductor, that are not insulated; and anyother material, such as filler material, of the armored cable. Inaddition to cutting and removing the armor 2502, other materials, suchas binder tape, encompassing the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C, theconductors not insulated, and any other filler material may also be cutand removed. According to embodiments, a portion of any ground conductorand a portion of any filler material may be removed from the armoredcable 2500 by cutting the ground conductor and the filler material backto the armor 2502.

The insulated conductors 2504A-2504C may be cut to lengths associatedwith the staggered lengths of the pulling cables 2508A-2508C, as furtherdiscussed above with regards at least to FIG. 8, and a portion of theinsulation of the insulated conductors may be stripped to expose aportion of the conductors for affixing the pulling eyes 2506A-2506C, asfurther discussed above with regards at least to FIGS. 7 and 11.Affixing the pulling eyes 2506A-2506C to the portions of the conductorsof the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C results in the pulling headassemblies of the armored cable 2500 as illustrated in FIG. 25A.

The pulling head assemblies of the armored cable 2500 as illustrated inFIG. 25A may be pulled over obstructions, such as pulleys and struts,when being installed. FIGS. 25A and 25B further illustrate embodimentsto protect the pulling head assemblies of the armored cable 2500 fromsuch obstructions and to keep the armor 2502 from slipping off theinsulated conductors 2504A-2504C and any other materials encompassedwithin the armor while the armored cable is being installed.

As shown FIG. 25A, a screw, nail, or other insertable object 2510 may beinserted into the armor 2502 of the armored cable 2500 to keep the armorfrom slipping away from the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C duringinstallation.

As illustrated in FIG. 25B, a binding material 2512, such as tape, maybe applied to the armored cable 2500 to protect further from slippagebetween the armor 2502 and the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C duringinstallation of the armored cable. The binding material 2512 alsoprotects the screw 2510 from dislodging or being dislodged from thearmored cable 2500 during installation of the armored cable.Additionally, the binding material 2512 protects the pulling headassemblies of the armored cable 2500 from catching on any obstructionsduring installation. According to embodiments, the binding material maybe applied to the insulated conductors 2504A-2504C of the armored cable2500 from before the cut on the armor 2502, as illustrated in FIG. 25A;past the cut; and on to the armor itself. According to furtherembodiments, the binding material 2512 may be applied from a minimum ofsix to eight inches on the armor 2502, past the cut on the armor, and toa minimum of six to eight inches on the insulated conductors2504A-2504C. The binding material 2512 may be partially overlapped onitself, and any number of layers of the binding material may be applied.

In further embodiments, a protective material, such as shrink wrap, maybe applied over the binding material 2512 to protect further fromslippage between the armor 2502 and the insulated conductors 2504A-2504Cduring installation of the armored cable. The protective material mayalso further protect the screw 2510 from dislodging or being dislodgedfrom the armored cable 2500 during installation of the armored cable.Additionally, the protective material may protect the pulling headassemblies of the armored cable 2500 from catching on any obstructionsduring installation. According to embodiments, the protective materialmay be applied completely or partially over the binding material 2512.

As described above in regard to FIG. 5, multiple parallels, eachconsisting of one or more conductors 402, may be wound onto a reel 406in layers, one on top of the other, for delivery to a job site. Eachparallel on the reel 406 may then be payed-off separately for multiple,independent wire/cable pulls. FIG. 26 illustrates a cross-section of areel 406 containing multiple parallels wound in layers 2602A-2602C onthe reel. For example, the reel 406 may contain a first parallelconsisting of four 350 kcmil conductors 402 of 210 feet in length on afirst layer 2602A, a second parallel consisting of three 350 kcmilconductors 402 of 185 feet in length on a second layer 2602B, and athird parallel consisting of five 350 kcmil conductors 402 on 100 feeton a third layer 2602C. Upon delivery of the reel 406 to the job site,installers may pull the third parallel from the third layer 2602C, thenthe second parallel from the second layer 2602B, and finally the firstparallel from the first layer 2602A.

FIG. 27 illustrates a routine 2700 for layering multiple parallels on asingle reel 406. It should be appreciated that more or fewer operationsmay be performed than shown in the figures and described herein, andthat the operations may be performed in parallel, or in a differentorder than that described herein. The routine 2700 begins at operation2702, where the end of the first parallel wound onto the reel 406 isattached to a flange 606 of the reel. The full length of the conductors402 of the first parallel may be wound onto the reel 406, leaving an endof the first parallel exposed. According to embodiments, the conductors402 of the first parallel may be terminated with pulling eyes 700 thatare further connected to a pulling head assembly 1000, in a mannerdescribed above at least at FIGS. 7 and 10. As shown in FIG. 28, thepulling head assembly may be covered with a protective covering 416, asdescribed above in regard to FIG. 4. The pulling head assembly 1000 maybe further connected to a short loop of rope 2802 or other material forhandling of the terminal end of the parallel in take-up, storage,delivery, and pay-out. The short loop of rope 2802 may be stapled orotherwise fastened to the inside of one flange 606 of the reel 406, asfurther shown in FIG. 28.

From operation 2702, the routine 2700 proceeds to operation 2704, wherethe first parallel wound onto the reel 406 is shrink-wrapped. This maybe accomplished by winding one or more layers of shrink-wrap material2804 over the first parallel on the reel 406, as further shown in FIG.28. The shrink-wrap material 2804 may serve to separate the multipleparallels layered on the reel 406, allowing each parallel to be paid outwithout interference from the layer 2602A-2602C below. The routine 2700then proceeds from operation 2704 to operation 2706, where a hole 2902is drilled through the inside of a flange 606A of the reel 406, as shownin FIG. 29. The hole 2902 may be located just above the firstshrink-wrapped layer 2602A on the flange 606A, as further shown in thefigure. The hole 2902 may be of sufficient size to accommodate oneconductor 402 of the second parallel to be wound onto the reel 406, aswill be described below.

Next, the routine 2700 proceeds from operation 2706 to operation 2708,where the terminal ends of the conductors 402A-402C of the secondparallel are positioned such that the end one conductor 402A is offsetfrom the ends of the remaining conductors 402B-402C, as shown in FIG.30. In one embodiment, the end of the offset conductor 402 may be 12 to18 inches longer than the ends of the other conductors. From operation2708, the routine 2700 proceeds to operation 2710, where protectivecoverings 3002 are installed on the ends of the conductors 402A-402C ofthe second parallel. The protective coverings 3002 may be a short lengthof hose, made of NYLON, PVC, or other polymeric material, that isslipped over the ends of the conductors 402A-402C, for example. Theprotective coverings 3002 may serve to protect the insulation of theconductors 402A-402C of the second parallel as they are wound onto thereel 406 and over the terminal ends, as shown in FIG. 31. The conductors402A-402C of the second parallel may then be bound together usingmultiple layers of traction tape 3004 or other binding material, asfurther shown in FIG. 30.

The routine 2700 then proceeds from operation 2710 to operation 2712,where the end of the longer conductor 402A is pulled through the hole2902 drilled through the flange 606A of the reel 406 in operation 2706above, as shown in FIG. 31. The longer conductor 402A may then bestapled or otherwise fastened to the outside of the flange 606A. Next,from operation 2712, the routine 2700 proceeds to operation 2714, wherethe conductors 402A-402C of the second parallel are wound onto the reel406 on top of the shrink-wrapped first layer, as further shown in FIG.31. Once the entire, length of the conductors 402A-402C of the secondparallel have been wound onto the reel 406, the end of the secondparallel may be attached to the flange 606A and the routine 2700repeated to add a third layer 2602C to the cable reel. It will beappreciated that any number of parallels may be layered onto a reel 406in this fashion, provided that the entire quantity and weight of thecombined conductors 402 for the multiple parallels do not exceed therelevant capacities of the reel 406 or consolidated payoff system 408being utilized.

Illustrative Applications

As shown in the table presented below, implementations of thisdescription may realize savings in time expended by electricalcontractor (EC) personnel. In presenting the table below, it is notedthat the wire pull scenarios represented in this table are illustrativeonly, and that implementations of this description may perform otherwire pull scenarios without departing from the scope and spirit of thisdescription. In addition, the hourly labor costs and time estimatesprovided in this table are illustrative only, and may vary in differentimplementations of this description. For example, the table belowpresents illustrative factors relating to an overhead 250′ pull, withfour conductors of size 500 with a 1/0 ground conductor. However, thedescription herein may be applied to other pulls as well. Accordingly,the savings presented in the table below may also vary across differentimplementations of this description.

In the table below, the left-most two columns present illustrative datarelated to traditional pipe and wire installations, while the next twocolumns present illustrative data related to pipe and wire installationsperformed according to the description herein. The right-most columnlists illustrative installation steps as a percentage of total pulltime, as compared to the EC personnel using traditional techniques.

Overhead 250′ pull, 4 conductors 500 with 1/0 ground Steps as % of totalpull time - EC using old Traditional Pipe and Wire installation time -minutes time - minutes Improved Solutions THHN 5 × 1,000′ reels blackconductor arrives at job 45 10 Single reel THHN with 5 conductors  14%site, EC off loads and transports to pull site (brown, orange, yellow,gray and green) paralleled on single reel EC sets up 5 reels on jacks inpreparation for 30 5 EC sets up 1 reel on jacks in  10% pull - may needequipment and leveling preparation for pull -may need equipment andleveling Transport 5 gal bucket pulling lube and rags to 2 0  1% pullsite EC applies phase tape to each conductor 3 × 5 15 0  5% EC pullsbraided, poly pulling rope and rag 10 5 EC pulls pulling rope through250 feet  3% through 250 feet conduit conduit EC prepares conductorheads for pulling 60 0.5 Attach pulling eye to pulling rope  19% EC setsup to apply lube to head of conduit at 30 0  10% start of pull EC Setsup to apply lube at 1 pull boxes 30 0  10% EC sets up tugger (bolted tofloor) 30 15 EC sets up light weight tugger  10% Cable pull starts, ECworkers apply lube at 2 45 30 Cable pull starts, rope pulling speed  14%locations, rope pulling speed 6 feet minute varies from 6-25 feet minute(average 16′ min) Clean lube off conductors and enclosure 15 0  5% totalminutes 312 65.5 Labor 6 men $70.00 per hour $2,184.00 $305.67 4 men100%

Conclusion

Having provided the foregoing description of the drawing figures,several observations are noted. In general, the foregoing drawings arenot drawn to scale, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Accordingly, thedimensions or proportions of particular elements, or the relationshipsbetween those different elements, as shown in the drawings are chosenonly for convenience of description, but do not limit possibleimplementations of this description.

Various aspects of the integrated systems described herein may beimplemented in connection with wires, cables, or conductors of anyconvenient size. For example, different pulling eyes, as described andillustrated above, may be provided for use with particular sizes of wireor cable. More specifically, the different pulling eyes may be sized anddimensioned as appropriate for the different sizes of wire, or types ofconductors (e.g., copper or aluminum).

In general, implementations of the integrated systems 110 describedherein may reduce the risk of damaging wire or cable during installation(e.g., pulls through conduits or installation of armored cable). Inturn, the risk of equipment damage that is attributable to such wiredamage may be reduced. In addition, these integrated systems 110 mayreduce the risk of injury to personnel involved with the installation,as well as reducing time and cost associated with the insulation.

Personnel working at service centers may construct the integrated wiringsolutions described herein. Among other operations, these constructionprocesses may include at least crimping the pulling eyes onto conductorsand assembling the pulling eyes into pulling heads. These constructionoperations may be performed before delivering the assembled andintegrated wiring solutions to a job site. Put differently, theintegrated wiring solutions may be pre-assembled for delivery to a jobsite.

In light of the above description, the service center personnelconstructing the integrated wiring solutions may be specially-trained toassemble and construct the integrated wiring solutions. In addition,these service center personnel may be equipped with specially-designedtools to facilitate efficient construction of the integrated wiringsolutions. For example, the service center personnel may be equippedwith stripping equipment to remove a prescribed, uniform amount ofinsulation from the conductors, and may further be equipped withstandardized tools for crimping the pulling eyes onto the conductors.

On-site contractor personnel may be tasked with a variety of differentconstruction-related functions. Previous techniques for facilitatingpulls through conduit may involve such personnel preparing the pullingheads on more or less an as-needed basis. Accordingly, such personnelmay possess varying amounts of experience in preparing such pullingheads. However, the service center personnel described above mayspecialize in various tasks involved with constructing the integratedwiring solutions. Therefore, the integrated wiring solutions constructedby such service center personnel may perform more consistently thanpulling heads constructed on-site by, for example, contractor personnel.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications andchanges may be made to the subject matter described herein withoutfollowing the example embodiments and applications illustrated anddescribed, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of theclaimed subject matter, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-readable storage medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a server system,causes the server system to perform operations comprising: receiving oneor more parameters related to a cable pull to be pulled on a job site,the one or more parameters comprising a type of a pulling head assemblyto be installed on conductors to be pulled; and provisioning anintegrated system for the cable pull based on the one or moreparameters, wherein the integrated system is to be delivered to the jobsite.
 2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein theone or more parameters further comprise one or more of a length of thecable pull, a size of a conduit through which the conductors will bepulled, a configuration of the conduit, a number of the conductors to bepulled, a size of each of the conductors, and a color-coding of theconductors.
 3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, whereinthe integrated system comprises a number of the conductors loaded inparallel onto a reel.
 4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim3, wherein the integrated system further comprises a payoff systemcontaining the reel and providing for movement and positioning of thereel and payoff of the conductors during the cable pull.
 5. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the reel comprisesmultiple parallels wound onto the reel in layers.
 6. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the integratedsystem further comprises the pulling head assembly installed on theconductors, the pulling head assembly comprising a pulling eyedeformably crimped onto a terminal end of each of the conductors, eachpulling eye being further attached to a pulling member at one end, withthe opposite ends of each pulling member being aligned for attachment toa pulling rope during the cable pull.
 7. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 6, wherein the pulling eye is crimped onto the terminalend of each of the conductors by a plurality of successive crimps, eachof the plurality of successive crimps applied at a separate locationadjacent to a previous crimp and at least two of the plurality ofsuccessive crimps having a differing rotational alignment relative toone another.
 8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, whereinthe operations further comprise utilizing one or more parameters tocalculate pull tensions for the cable pull and providing arecommendation for appropriate pulling equipment in conjunction withprovisioning the integrated system.
 9. A method, comprising: receiving,at a server system comprising a processor, one or more parametersrelated to a cable pull to be pulled on a job site, the one or moreparameters comprising a type of a pulling head assembly to be installedon conductors to be pulled; and provisioning, by the server system, anintegrated system for the cable pull based on the one or moreparameters, wherein the integrated system is to be delivered to the jobsite.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more parametersfurther comprise one or more of a length of the cable pull, a size of aconduit through which the conductors will be pulled, a configuration ofthe conduit, a number of the conductors to be pulled, a size of each ofthe conductors, and a color-coding of the conductors.
 11. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the integrated system comprises a number of theconductors loaded in parallel onto a reel.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the integrated system further comprises a payoff systemcontaining the reel and providing for movement and positioning of thereel and payoff of the conductors during the cable pull.
 13. The methodof claim 11, wherein the reel comprises multiple parallels wound ontothe reel in layers.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the integratedsystem further comprises the pulling head assembly installed on theconductors, the pulling head assembly comprising a pulling eyedeformably crimped onto a terminal end of each of the conductors, eachpulling eye being further attached to a pulling member at one end, withthe opposite ends of each pulling member being aligned for attachment toa pulling rope during the cable pull.
 15. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising utilizing one or more parameters to calculate pull tensionsfor the cable pull and providing a recommendation for appropriatepulling equipment in conjunction with provisioning the integratedsystem.
 16. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto perform operations comprising receiving one or more parametersrelated to a cable pull to be pulled on a job site, the one or moreparameters comprising a type of a pulling head assembly to be installedon conductors to be pulled, and provisioning an integrated system forthe cable pull based on the one or more parameters, wherein theintegrated system is to be delivered to the job site.
 17. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the one or more parameters further comprise one ormore of a length of the cable pull, a size of a conduit through whichthe conductors will be pulled, a configuration of the conduit, a numberof the conductors to be pulled, a size of each of the conductors, and acolor-coding of the conductors.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein theintegrated system comprises a number of the conductors loaded inparallel onto a reel.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the reelcomprises multiple parallels wound onto the reel in layers.
 20. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the integrated system further comprises thepulling head assembly installed on the conductors, the pulling headassembly comprising a pulling eye deformably crimped onto a terminal endof each of the conductors, each pulling eye being further attached to apulling member at one end, with the opposite ends of each pulling memberbeing aligned for attachment to a pulling rope during the cable pull.